Baylor's Coleman, TCU's Doctson bring unlikely alliance into rigors of starting anew at the next level

The Texans have kept a close watch on Baylor receiver Corey Coleman with an eye to perhaps drafting him as a complement to DeAndre Hopkins.

The Texans have kept a close watch on Baylor receiver Corey Coleman with an eye to perhaps drafting him as a complement to DeAndre Hopkins.

Photo: Rod Aydelotte, FRE

Image 2 of 4

TCU receiver Josh Doctson is returning to form following wrist surgery in November.

TCU receiver Josh Doctson is returning to form following wrist surgery in November.

Photo: Charlie Neibergall, STF

Image 3 of 4

Baylor's Corey Coleman poses with the trophy after winning the Biletnikoff Award for being the nation's top receiver at the College Football Hall of Fame, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) less

Baylor's Corey Coleman poses with the trophy after winning the Biletnikoff Award for being the nation's top receiver at the College Football Hall of Fame, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John ... more

Photo: John Bazemore, STF

Image 4 of 4

Josh Doctson
TCU football
2015 school photo
TCU Football Picture Day inside the Sammy Baugh Practice Facility on the TCU campus in Fort Worth, Texas on August 9, 2015. Photos by Michael Clements.

Josh Doctson
TCU football
2015 school photo
TCU Football Picture Day inside the Sammy Baugh Practice Facility on the TCU campus in Fort Worth, Texas on August 9, 2015. Photos by Michael Clements.

Photo: NA, Photographer

Coleman, Doctson find camaraderie after Big 12 rivalry

1 / 4

Back to Gallery

INDIANAPOLIS - Considering the bad blood that has been brewing between Baylor and TCU over the last few years in the Big 12, the growing friendship between receivers Corey Coleman and Josh Doctson might be difficult for fans to stomach.

Coleman, who starred at Baylor, won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's best receiver last season and is considered the second-best prospect at his position behind Mississippi's Laquon Treadwell.

Doctson, who excelled at TCU before suffering a broken wrist that required surgery in November, is ranked close behind Coleman.

"Josh is my boy," Coleman said during a break at the combine. "We played in the same conference. Friendly competition. I respect his game. He's a great receiver. We're going to be proud no matter where we end up."

Translator

To read this article in one of Houston's most-spoken languages, click on the button below.

Coleman was asked if it was hard to develop a friendship with a player from TCU considering how intense the rivalry has become.

"Yeah, at first it was," he said with a smile. "But since we're out of school, it's really not. He's a good guy."

Coleman, a Richardson native, had 74 receptions for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns last season before missing Baylor's Russell Athletic Bowl victory over North Carolina with a sports hernia.

Doctson, who grew up in Mansfield, had 79 catches for 1,327 yards and 14 TDs before a wrist injury cost him four games.

Now they've formed an unlikely alliance.

"It was fun competing with him from a distance," Doctson said. "We became friends.

"The Baylor-TCU rivalry is always going to be there, but we put it aside."

Coleman (5-10½, 194) should be a first-round pick.

Doctson (6-3, 195) could go in the first round.

"Corey has this fiercely competitive spirit and is so tough he'll tear your heart out and just look at it until it stops beating," Baylor coach Art Briles said this week. "He's got a work ethic that can't be topped.

"If it's him against one or him against 20, he's going to do what it takes to win the battle."

Coleman can't run the 40-yard dash at the combine because he's recovering from surgery to repair the hernia. He'll run at Baylor's pro day March 16.

"He's got great ability," Briles said. "He can separate, and when he gets the ball he can become extremely physical.

Coleman might have scored 30 touchdowns last season if Baylor had not lost both of its quarterbacks to injuries. Seth Russell suffered a broken neck that required surgery. Freshman Jarrett Stidham suffered a broken ankle.

"Really, our season ended. We were thinking national championship, and then the quarterbacks got hurt. You have to earn how to deal with adversity, especially the leaders. The guys were looking at me, being an older guy. I had to show a lot of maturity."

Baylor receivers have put up big numbers in college, but they haven't consistently excelled in the NFL.

"Like I said to some of the scouts, I don't want to be a project," Coleman said. "I want to be a guy that can play (right away). Punt returns, kick returns. I don't want them to think, 'I have to teach him. It's going to take two years to develop.'

"I take pride in learning that playbook and doing whatever I have to do to be a pro at the highest level. Even if you come from a pro-style offense, you're going to have to make some adjustments. It's a different game. You have to be in your playbook. It's a different language. You've got to dedicate yourself and put in the time to really stay focused and be at your best."

Coleman is the first to admit he wouldn't be where he is without the guidance of former Baylor cornerback Ray Crockett, who played 14 years in the NFL and won two Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos.

Coleman's father is in prison. Crockett is his godfather.

"He's had a tremendous impact on my life," Coleman said. "He showed me how to become a man. He gave me a vision when I was little that people from where I'm from really don't see.

"He invited me into his home. He always had goals. As I got older, I set goals and did everything I could to reach them."

And now Coleman is on the verge of reaching his next goal of becoming a first-round draft choice and running routes in the NFL.